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Topic : 10/12 Homecoming Shooting

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Created on : Wednesday, October 10, 2007, 10:58:52 am

Author : DrPhilBoard1

Early Sunday morning in Crandon, a small Wisconsin logging town, 20-year-old deputy sheriff Tyler Peterson went on a shooting rampage killing six people and critically wounding another before authorities fatally shot him. A part-time police officer, Peterson fired thirty rounds of ammunition on his ex-girlfriend and a group of friends who had gathered for pizza and movies to celebrate homecoming weekend. Who was Tyler Peterson, and what drove him to murder six people in cold blood? What is the profile of a mass murderer, and does he fit the description? How could Peterson have slipped through the system to become a law enforcement officer, and how do we keep it from happening again? Every day, more than 80 Americans die from gun violence.* From the 1999 Columbine massacre to the nation's deadliest shooting rampage in history at Virginia Tech last April, mass shootings in America continue to draw world scrutiny. Be there when Dr. Phil asks the tough questions. If it's happening now, Dr. Phil is gonna talk about it now! Share your thoughts, join the discussion.

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Bullying, Gun Violence, and Hangmen Nooses

Dear Dr. Phil,

I watch you all the time. I have seen your shows on bullying and gun violence...You need to do more. I am a teacher and I was a victim of bullying when I was in school. Teachers, school authorities, and parents need to wake up and to educate themselves and their children on how wrong and hurtful bullying can be. Many, many, many times I came home crying because of the mean things people said to me or did to me. NOw that I am a teacher. I do not tolerate bullying for anyone. Schools need to do more awareness about what bullying can do to someone.

Homecoming shooting

Quote From: carey325

I'm from Wisconsin, not near Crandon. Married to a police administrator. I am just waiting for the cop basing. You can't predict everything, please do not use this young man's issues to be a platform to bash all those officers that put their lives on the line, whose families miss holidays with them because they are out there protecting us from the law breakers, PLEASE. This is one person, one young person. He does nto represent the many officers that have dedicated their lives to this profession.

And on that same note, please remember this young man has a family. They do not deserve to be persecuted.

And the victims families also will need time to heal, please allow them that. This is a tough, terrible world we live in. Let's not make this harder on everyone than we have to.

Thank you.

Dear Wife of an Officer,

Your email is taken with deep respect to both your service as a wife of an officer,

as well as your husband service to the public as an officer. Thank you for reminding

us that Officers are human too, we understand the stress and risk they take each

day they leave for work. Intelligent people will view this matter more in the light of

what are the gap's that can be improved. Such as MMPI testing, psychological help

for stress and mental health issues, support groups, relationship groups.

No where in the State of Wisconsin has accountability in this area of help

for all public employee's been more needed. Wisconsin lacks in Mental Health care

workers. Some Hospital's have a two month waiting list. We need to talk and help

each other heal from suffering, pain, stress. Life isn't always easy and having others

to talk to can make a difference. It's not a sign of weakness to seek counseling before

we break. However, if counseling isn't available, can people stop and listen to each

other and make a difference.

So what I am saying is please don't take this shooting personally because your

a family of an Officer. No matter what Mr. Peterson profession was he was in need

of Mental Health Service that aren't available at this present time because of the

shortage in the U.S. Mental Health Care Service's as well as Wisconsin.

Homecoming Shooting

My sympathies for the families, both the victims families as well as that young officer's, that are dealing with this tragedy. That is what this is, a tragedy.

I am not an NRA member but I do not believe it was the gun that killed. It was the troubled young man that chose to enter that room and begin pulling the trigger. The fact that he was legal to carry a weapon shows that gun control will not work. We cannot take these weapons away from our policemen, their jobs are already far too dangerous.

Someone posted that an average of 80 people are shot every day. I would be willing to bet that the majority of those shootings (90% or more?) are drug related. Drugs, made more valuable because they are illegal. Guess what?! You are never going to remove guns from the criminals hands. You will only make the weapon worth that much more on the black market.

If you want to point fingers at the problems of today's society, I would suggest looking at the violence in movies. How many times have I seen the "bad guy" pointing a gun in someone's face to get what he wants. It's the solution to anything that gets in his way or makes him angry. Film makers can say all they want about the violence in their movies not having an impact on our young children/adults. Violence is seen as an quick and easy solution to what the troubled person views as insurmountable problems in their lives, weather that is school, work or their home life.

Would a person of good moral value choose that road? Probably not but we have taken God out of so much of our lives, what chance do our children have?

10/12 Homecoming Shooting

Quote From: carey325

I'm from Wisconsin, not near Crandon. Married to a police administrator. I am just waiting for the cop basing. You can't predict everything, please do not use this young man's issues to be a platform to bash all those officers that put their lives on the line, whose families miss holidays with them because they are out there protecting us from the law breakers, PLEASE. This is one person, one young person. He does nto represent the many officers that have dedicated their lives to this profession.

And on that same note, please remember this young man has a family. They do not deserve to be persecuted.

And the victims families also will need time to heal, please allow them that. This is a tough, terrible world we live in. Let's not make this harder on everyone than we have to.

Thank you.

Carey,

I have not yet read a word here that is "bashing" police, nor the process that law enforcement officials are hired and overseen. No one is persecuting the family, and I have read nothing but respect and condolences here for the victum's family. I hate to see anyone, like you, jump to conclusions before any of it happens. Questions DO need to be asked, hard questions. I would expect or want anything less from Dr. Phil and those investing in WI.

10/12 Homecoming Shooting

Quote From: karlagolay

There is no end to this and there can be no end to senseless killings like this in the United States in our present form of government. As long as Americans continue to operate in the social structures we have created without recognizing our need for flexibility and serious changes in what we do and do not allow for, sad events like this will continue.

I don't care what the NRA says about incidents like this, a gun killed those people.

We either take them away or create laws that enable citizens to better defend themselves.

As long as there is hate, envy, jealousy, disrespect, greed and avarice in the world there will be no end to this.

The very best screening for law enforcement officers will not make enough differance as we have seen.

The path down this terrible road starts with, disrespect, for self first, than others.

If your wondering why....and how....something like this can happen in 'our' nice little town...it all started the very moment a human being thought less of themselves than they had ought to of.

We should have learned self-respect early in life but too often we have parents where one or more of them have also come to a place to where they too, stopped respecting themselves, their name, their home and values until all they had ever hoped for and placed so much value in...is gone.

Whole value systems are based in...1.Love 2. Work, when one of those is out of balance and threatens our well being our entire value system is threatened and that is where a good basis in self-respect is called for and necessary for our recovery.

When we place no more value on ourselves and are taken with hopelessness it is than we have stopped respecting both ourselves and others.

When this happens we open the door to an attitude of 'our own needs first' and than we no longer care about the needs of others, be they physical or spirtual needs...or whatever is that gives our neighbors the balance they need in their own lives and values.

The spiral downward continues when we are so busy trying to keep the essentials for our own basic survival intact and operational, the need for balance in our love (relationships) and work (life purpose), that we so easily take our eyes off others that we share and trade with and when we do that, when we, through our actions or inactions, get so busy with ourselves it is than say to others with our body language and our tone of voice, you do not count, you are not a part of my life mission and value system and you provide nothing to my personal well being or the well being of my family, when we devalue others like that, we set the stage for retaliation and violence in our communities.

When we are so busy looking for the forest and can't see the trees right in front of us we have to pause and reflect and ask ourselves........are we too busy ?......what are we missing here ?.....and why ?

What part did I or we play in this tragedy ?

Just because I didn't pull the trigger and it's not my fault doesn't mean that perhaps there was something I could have done to prevent this.

Just because I refuse to accept guilt for being so selfish and focused on only my own family and it's needs doesn't mean I am no less liable for my actions or inactions when travesty falls upon another family nearby.

Where is the dividing line between being self sufficent and minding my own business and being my brother's keeper ?

We live in the social structures we create. We are liable for what we allow and do not allow for within them.

We all play a role in our communities and social structures whether we like those roles or not.

I have to agree with this statement. When people feel valueless with no hope for betterment that is the most terrible place to be. You almost have to feel sorry for anyone who feels so low that they would allow themselves to do things like this. If parents are working 2 or 3 jobs just to get by, when are they caring for their children? Who is teaching the kids to value themselves and others. Everyone seems to be all in it for themselves. What can I get, why should I care if you have nothing as long as they have all I need and want. There is enough in this world for every mans need, but not for every mans greed. Millionnairs all over the world buy $10 000 pairs of shoes and bottles of wine. How many people could that bottle of wine feed or house. Where there is No hope for better, there is no value or care about anything. If you had nothing, you would lie, cheat and steal too. Reach out and be friend to those who have none. Make someone feel they are important, it could change their lives. Dont judge, you dont not know where others have been. Leave no one behind.

another thought

Our society has to wake and realize that bullying and hatred are wrong, and not to be tolerated at all! No, I am not excusing what he has done, he is responsible for his actions, not the others. But, bullying creates many issues, some of them serious, deadly serious, as we have seen many times before, and sadly, will again in the future.

More Shootings?

I do not take this topic lightly, however, I do still partially blame TV for the violence in this country. I am not that old, but I remember watching TV growing up was not near half as violent as it is today. My mother totally controlled what I watched, but even the times she wasn't around, I don't remember seeing anything that was a negative influence on me at the time.

Secondly, I feel that people in general have given up on those who have the potential to be "bad". I think the key to preventing any future incidents like this is to not give up on people, learn to recognize the signs, and most important, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. If we sense that something is not quite right with someone, it will not kill you to reach out and lend a helping hand, so to speak. It could be something as simple as just listening to that person vent to referring that person to a counselor. I'm sure that just by taking the time to help, listen, or even recoginzing the person is in trouble, would make all the difference to that person.

Think about those times when your life was going wrong and you felt like the whole world is against you. Think about how many times you felt like you could go off at the drop of a dime and apply that to someone who you know may need help. It will help.

my response to your veiw

Quote From: enydan

At the risk of sounding like I live in La La Land, I am going to just put this idea out on the table. A few years ago on the Discovery Channel? I believe, I saw a documentary about how Russia was investing in research of psychic abilities. It told how people were tested and those with abilities further trained to use their natural abilities. How did they use them? They were told to practice using their mental abilities to send messages. Could they make someone ill? Could they induce a heart attack? Or some other illnesses? I remember that the key to it was in the vibratory levels that the psychics were able to reach. These vibrations were measurable with equipment, I guess similar to machines that monitor brain waves, etc. The vibratory patterns of the most successful psychics were matched by designing equipment could pinpoint the right level of vibration and it could be increased to be more potent. So, what is my point? I wonder how far these experiments went. I wonder if over these past 20 or so years, the use of sending "signals" that are "negative", creating depression, anxiety, sickness, etc. have become the weapon that is afftecting our youth. What do you think?

i dont think you'll living in la la land the way the human body itself operates is still unknown so the mind would be even less unknown so anything is possible speacially with this type of scenario you have actually got me thinking and wondering gosh knows what actually goes on in our minds

Looking for answers

It is terrifying coming to terms with the severe emotional problems people have. I currently have a 3-year restraining order against my ex-fiancé. I fear his emotional stability as he threatened to end his life, along with my life and the lives of my family. What I am also concerned about is the fact that he is a Sergeant in the Marine Corps and is a Military Police Officer. I have tried to get him help but it seems that no one wants to listen. What does one do when the warning signs are there and people keep ignoring them - wait until it is too late?